LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Saturday, October 16, 2010
| For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com. |
Current Headlines
• Fetal Pain Abortion Law Takes Effect in Nebraska, Could Set National Trend
• Congressman Gets State Election Commission to Shut Down Pro-Life Organization
• California Senate Race Continues to See Abortion Battle between Boxer, Fiorina
• Reid Misleads Nevada Voters in Debate: Hyde Doesn't Stop ObamaCare Abortion $
• Charlie Crist Attacks Marco Rubio on Abortion, Fully Abandons Pro-Life View
• Ken Buck Carries Pro-Life Standard Against Pro-Abortion Michael Bennet
• Tom Tancredo Catches Pro-Abortion John Hickenlooper in New Colorado Poll
• Pro-Life Group Announces $1M Campaign to Target Pro-Abortion Candidates
• Memo to Obama: Restore Good Science by Promoting Adult Stem Cell Research
• Kansas Supreme Court OKs Case Against Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz
• Florida Gov Candidate Scott Confirms Pro-Life Views, Backs Bill Against Abortions
• Indiana Senate Candidate Ellsworth Under Fire on Abortion Funding, False Ads
---> Thank you for reading and supporting pro-life news from LifeNews.com! This week, we hit a milestone -- our 5,000th email news report. Since 1992 we have kept the pro-life movement updated on the latest pro-life news and information. But we couldn't have done it without your support, faithful readership, and the tireless work of pro-life people across the U.S. and around the world. Without your efforts and theirs to protect human life, there's nothing to report. We look forward to 5,000 more!
Fetal Pain Abortion Law Takes Effect in Nebraska, Could Set National Trend
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new fetal pain law is taking effect today in Nebraska that targets late-term abortions based on the pain an unborn baby will likely feel during the abortion procedure. The law could set a national trend of other states and Congress considering such measures and could lead to a Supreme Court battle.
The Nebraska law, Legislative Bill 1103, relies on significant medical research and expert testimony to prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy on the basis that unborn children feel pain.
The legislation has been hailed by pro-life advocates across the country for its innovative approach and focusing the public's attention on unborn babies who have been medically documented as pain capable at 20 weeks gestation.
This will take off like wildfire, Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, predicted in comments to the Omaha World-Herald newspaper.
The Nebraska bill has already inspired Sen. Mike Johanns, a Nebraska Republican, to press for a similar measure on the national level -- and he used it to challenge pro-abortion president Barack Obama. Full story at LifeNews.com
Congressman Gets State Election Commission to Shut Down Pro-Life Organization
Columbus, OH (LifeNews.com) -- Unhappy that a pro-life group wanted to run billboards against him because he violated his pro-life views and voted for the abortion-funding ObamaCare health care bill, Ohio congressman Steve Driehaus has successfully pressured the state elections commission to shut down the Susan B. Anthony List.
Driehaus filed a criminal complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission using a rarely-employed Ohio statute under which it is a violation to make "a false statement concerning the voting record of a candidate or public official."
The complaint was spurred in part by the Susan B. Anthony List s intention to put up four billboards across his Congressional district. Driehaus ordered Lamar Companies not to put up the billboards until the matter was settled by the Ohio Elections Commission.
The law goes on to say it is illegal to "post, publish, circulate, distribute, or otherwise disseminate a false statement concerning a candidate, either knowing the same to be false or with reckless disregard of whether it is false or not."
Yesterday, a three-member panel of the Ohio Elections Commission ruled in Driehaus' favor, saying the billboards talking about Driehaus' support for taxpayer funding of abortions under the ObamaCare bill were not allowable.
The panel determined there was "probable cause" and now a full hearing will take place to determine whether the Susan B. Anthony List broke Ohio law with the billboards in the Cincinnati congressional district. Full story at LifeNews.com
California Senate Race Continues to See Abortion Battle between Boxer, Fiorina
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- The California Senate race -- pitting pro-life candidate Carly Fiornia against pro-abortion stalwart Barbara Boxer -- continues as a battle over abortion. Boxer, who has never gained a solid footing in the polls against her opponent, believes abortion is the only way she can beat the businesswoman.
"Make no mistake about it, a woman's right to choose is on the ballot in California this year," Boxer said during a news conference yesterday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"It's very stark. Barbara Boxer, pro-choice, versus Carly Fiorina, anti-choice. It's very clear and very important people know this," Boxer added.
"Overturning Roe vs. Wade would turn women and doctors into criminals," Boxer said. "The most extreme anti-choice groups have found their candidate in Carly Fiorina, and the pro-choice groups who are here today they know that I am their voice."
Fiorina, for her part, has pointed out how Boxer and her campaign have been trying to draw California voters' attention away from her "track record of failure."
"I understand that not everyone agrees with my views on the sanctity of life, but this is a typical, divisive attempt to distract from the issues that are important in this race," Fiorina said, according to the Times. "Wherever people stand on that issue the most important issue that we have to deal with right now is jobs 2.2 million people out of work." Full story at LifeNews.com
Reid Misleads Nevada Voters in Debate: Hyde Doesn't Stop ObamaCare Abortion $
Las Vegas , NV (LifeNews.com) -- During the debate last night between pro-abortion Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and pro-life candidate Sharron Angle, Reid misled Nevada voters on the ObamaCare bill he shepherded through the Senate. He falsely said the Hyde amendment is preserved by the legislation.
The candidates received a question asking whether they favored having the federal government fund abortions under the new health care reform law.
Angle gave a clear response, "No."
Reid, on the other hand, attempted to convey to voters the erroneous notion that the bill contained sufficient abortion funding limits. He implied the Hyde Amendment is either contained in the legislation or somehow applies to it -- neither of which is the case.
"Well, we passed -- maintained -- Hyde, Hyde Amendment," he stammered.
The moderator of the debate couldn't decipher the answer as a direct response to his question, saying, "That would be a yes or no?"
Reid paused and responded: "Uh, under the law, eh, that exists today, the Hyde amendment, which has been the law in this country for 30 years, is still there."
Connie Hair, a writer at Human Events, says Reid deceived Nevada voters with the answer, because the Hyde amendment preventing abortion funding with tax dollars is nowhere in the ObamaCare bill, which allows abortion funding in a number of circumstances. Full story at LifeNews.com
Charlie Crist Attacks Marco Rubio on Abortion, Fully Abandons Pro-Life View
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Charlie Crist is up with a new television commercial in the Florida Senate race that attacks pro-life Republican opponent Marco Rubio's pro-life views. The ad essentially is the final confirmation that Crist has abandoned any pretense of holding a pro-life position on abortion.
"I'm fighting to stop Marco Rubio's extremist agenda to roll back Roe v. Wade and cut your Social Security," Crist says in the commercial.
The reference is made to the Supreme Court decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy and has resulted in more than 52 million abortions since 1973.
Crist's ad will further upset pro-life and middle of the road voters who are already upset he vetoed a bill that would have allowed women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn baby prior to an abortion.
The bill would have also exempted the state from some of the abortion funding in the government-run health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law.
Then, in a move to set up an ad of this nature against Rubio, Crist scrubbed his web site of any mention of his supposedly pro-life views or opposing abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
Ken Buck Carries Pro-Life Standard Against Pro-Abortion Michael Bennet
Denver, CO (LifeNews.com) -- Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck can't find any friends on the radical fringe, but his mainstream pro-life position appears to be carrying him home to victory against pro-abortion Sen. Michael Bennet. Throughout the Senate campaign, Buck has taken a consistent pro-life position.
"As a father of two, Ken believes in the value of life and is opposed to abortion except to protect the life of the mother. As U.S. Senator, Ken will oppose federal funding of abortion and will fight to protect the life of the unborn," Buck's web site says.
Once receiving the nomination to face Bennet, who was appointed to the position and immediately turned off Colorado voters by supporting the ObamaCare health care bill and the abortion funding it contains, Buck became a target.
The Bennet campaign and the Democratic party aggressively attacked Buck with television commercials claiming he is extreme because he opposes abortions in cases of rape or incest because he believes the unborn child should not be killed for the crimes of the attacker. Full story at LifeNews.com
Tom Tancredo Catches Pro-Abortion John Hickenlooper in New Colorado Poll
Denver, CO (LifeNews.com) -- Tom Tancredo is pushing up the numbers in his race to become the primary alternative to pro-abortion gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Colorado finds Tancredo has made up most of the ground he needed to be competitive.
The survey finds Hickenlooper with 42% support, while Tancredo, a pro-life former congressman running on a third party bid, earns 38% of the vote.
Support for Republican Dan Maes continues to fall and now stands at 12% while 2% prefer some other candidate, and six percent are undecided.
"Is independent Tom Tancredo now becoming the de facto Republican candidate for governor of Colorado? He s now moved to within four points of Democrat John Hickenlooper to turn the race into a toss-up," says pollster Scott Rasmussen.
With the Dan Maes campaign turning into a joke for most political observers -- he's faced campaign finance violations and accusations that he misled voters about his career in law enforcement -- Tancredo has become the main candidate for those Republicans, independents and conservative and moderate Democrats looking for someone other than the Denver mayor to become governor. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Group Announces $1M Campaign to Target Pro-Abortion Candidates
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Campaign for Working Families PAC, headed up by former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer, has announced a $1 million ad campaign targeting pro-abortion candidates in several states.
The television effort goes along with the television, radio, and grassroots campaigns of other organizations like National Right to Life, the Susan B. Anthony List and Americans United for Life.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Pennsylvania s Joe Sestak are the three Senate candidates that will face commercials sponsored by the pro-life organization.
Ads will also appear in Florida, where pro-life candidate Marco Rubio is taking on pro-abortion candidates Charlie Crist and Kendrick Meek.
On the House side, candidates targeted in the advertising campaign include Reps. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, Mark Schauer in Michigan, Steve Driehaus of Ohio and Glenn Nye of Virginia. Full story at LifeNews.com
| Looking for a Low-Cost Pro-Life Speaker? |
| Looking for a pro-life speaker for your next banquet, conference or convention? LifeNews.com editor Steven Ertelt is a low-cost speaker who can entertain and educate your audience as well as help you with a fundraising pitch if necessary. For more information: news@LifeNews.com. |
Memo to Obama: Restore Good Science by Promoting Adult Stem Cell Research
by Jonathan Imbody
President Obama has said he will base funding decisions on evidence and "restore science to its rightful place." A widely heralded scientific breakthrough gives him the chance to turn his airy rhetoric into solid action.
Mr. Obama and other politicians who minimize the value of early human life have swallowed hook, line and sinker the hyperbolic speculations of grant-seeking embryonic stem cell researchers. Mr. Obama has joined the politicians who have turned embryonic stem cell research into a wedge issue.
For years these self-righteous politicians have hurled stones at their pro-life opponents who advocated ethical adult stem cell research, accusing them of cruelly standing in the way of cures.
During his vice presidential campaign, Sen. John Edwards boasted of embryonic stem cell research, vowing, "People like Christopher Reeve will get up out of that wheelchair and walk again." Now we know that Mr. Edwards' vows on any subject weren't exactly reliable. Full story at LifeNews.com
Kansas Supreme Court OKs Case Against Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) -- The Kansas Supreme Court today issued an opinion allowing a criminal case against the Planned Parenthood abortion business to move forward. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri faces 107 charges alleging that it engaged in illegal abortions and violated state record-keeping laws.
Former state attorney general Phill Kline, as the then Johnson County District Attorney, filed 107 charges, including 23 felonies, against the abortion business for allegedly violating state law.
The Kansas Supreme Court held a hearing in the case involving the Overland Park Planned Parenthood abortion center in May 2009 and, after a lengthy wait, finally issued a ruling today.
The hearing covered disputed subpoenas filed by Kline and the high court had to determine whether subpoenas Kline issued for medical records from the Planned Parenthood facility can be enforced.
In a unanimous ruling, the state high court allowed the case to move forward but put conditions and limits on the testimony of witnesses and the subpoenaed records. They then sent the case back to Johnson County District Court, where it was filed in 2007. Full story at LifeNews.com
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott has confirmed his pro-life views with his support of a bill in the Florida state legislature that would ban abortions. However, pro-abortion candidate Alex Sink and media outlets are attempting to use the information to say he's flip-flopping on the issue. The Ledger of Lakeland reports Friday that state Rep. Charles Van Zant endorsed Rick Scott in an e-mail to supporters.
In the email, Van Zant says Scott told him he would support his legislation that would ban abortions with the exception of protecting the life of the mother.
"Scott pledged that he would assist in advancing the Florida for Life Act through both Florida's House and Senate," he said. "He immediately said 'Yes, that's what I believe and that's what I will do.' He telephoned me last week to assure me that he would keep this issue before our state government." Full story at LifeNews.com
Indiana Senate Candidate Ellsworth Under Fire on Abortion Funding, False Ads
Indianapolis, IN (LifeNews.com) -- Indiana Senate candidate Brad Ellsworth is coming under fire for claiming he has a 100% pro-life voting record even though he voted in favor of the ObamaCare bill that contains allowances for abortion funding. Ellsworth is also facing criticism for an ad falsely claiming Dan Coats lobbied for Planned Parenthood.
On Monday, Ellsworth told Hoosiers that I am a pro-life democrat, proud of that, 100 percent pro-life voting record.
But the Americans United for Life pro-life group says that is not accurate.
"Ellsworth s vote in support of the health care bill signed by President Obama earlier this year allowed for the largest expansion of taxpayer-funded abortion in U.S. history. While the Congressman continues to tout his pro-life voting record, the fact remains that on the single most important pro-life vote in a generation, he changed his position on the issue," the group told LifeNews.com this afternoon. Full story at LifeNews.com
Encourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
